Bag or purse fastener.



UNrrn LOUIS B. PRAHAR, OF NEW YORK N. Y.

BAG OR PURSE FASTENER.

Application filed September 7, 1905.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS B. PRAHAR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bag or Purse Fasteners, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a fastener particularly adapted for bag frames and which comprises but few parts, the latching member having rocking movement to and from the keeper or keepers it is adapted to engage.

Another purpose of the invention is to rovide a fastener of the character descri ed which may be readily and effectively applied to any bag frame.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an open bag frame and the improved fastener ap plied; Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section through a bag frame closed and a similar section through the improved fastener, the parts being in locking position; Fig. 3 is a view similar to that shown in Fig. 2, the

parts of the fastener, however, being shown in unlocked position; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the box casing of the fastener viewed from the bottom; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one form of spring employed; Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the latch member viewed from the bottom; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the complete fastener viewed from the bottom; Fig. 8 is a bottom perspective view of a slightly modified form of the fastener; and Fig. 9 is an enlarged transverse section of the fastener shown in Fig. 8, the section being taken about centrally between the ends of the casing.

A and A represent the two frame members of a bag hinged at their lower ends in the customary way, and the member A is shown provided with two keepers a at its upper edge,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 5, 1908.

Serial No. 277,327.

which keepers are in the form of projections from the said member.

The device consists primarily of a box casing B, a latch member 0 and a spring D. The box casing B is open at the bottom, and at its central portion it is depressed, forming a longitudinal recess 10, as is best shown in Fig. 4, and forming also exterior shoulders 11.

In the outer longitudinal edge of the box casing a longitudinal recess 12-is produced the length of the depression 10, and at the end portions of this recess outwardly-extending horizontal lugs 13 are preferably formed. Between these lugs 13 a deeper recess 14 is produced in the same edge of the box casing. In the opposite or inner longitudinal edge of the said box casing a longitudinal recess 12 is made, corresponding to the recess 12 above referred to.

The latch member 0 is constructed preferably of one piece of material, and is of a length to extend in the exterior recess 10 of the box casing from one shoulder 11 to the other. In the. preferred form of the latch member C, as is shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 6, it is approximately U-shape the metal of which it is made being bent upon itself to form an upper fiat section 15, a downwardlyextending front section 16, and an upwardlyextending finger piece 17 at the said front section 16, together with a downwardly-extending rear member 18, and a tongue 19, which is shown of tapering form but may be given other shape, the said tongue being located between the ends of the said rear section 18, the ends of the tongue being preferably about an equal distance from the ends of the said section 18, as is particularly shown in Fig. 6. The spring D is preferably an arch spring, but other forms of spring may be employed.

In assembling the parts of the latch, the spring is placed in the box casing B, asis particularly shown in Fig. 7, with its convexed the finger piece 17 opposite the inside face of the casing and will bring the longitudinal edges of the rear section 18 of the latch member C to a bearing upon the lugs 13. The latch member is so loosely mounted on the casing as to have rocking movement thereon, and the upward movement of the finger piece is limited by the engagement of the aforesaid edges of the rear section 18 with the lugs 13. and these lugs likewise tend to prevent the latch member 0 from unduly slipping on the casing.

When the finger piece 17 is rocked upward the spring D is placed under compression so that when the finger piece is released the spring restores it to its locking position, which is in engagement with the keepers a when the two frame members A and A are closed, as is shown in Fig. 2. The latch is attached to the member A of the bag'frame, and extends beyond the inner face of said member a sufficient distance to enable the upper edge of the member A of the bag frame carrying the keepers a, to pass beneath the said casing.

I desire it to be understood that in the formation of the latch member C, instead offorming the finger piece or section 17, as a the'spring itself may be extended and made to have locking engagement with the jaw opposite to that to which the latch is attached.

It will be observed that this latch is exceedingly simple, comprising very few parts, and that it is economical to construct. Furthermore it can be conveniently and readily adapted to any form of frame and operated with convenience and despatch by the fingers and the thumb of one hand.

In Figs. 8 and 9 I have illustrated a slightly modified form of the latch, in which the box casing B is substantially of the same construction as that heretofore described, except that the recess 10 in the back is narrower, and the latch member C consists of an upper member 15", a front member 16", a thumb piece 17 a and a back member 18 together with an angular lower member 18 which is carried horizontally within the box casing, as is shown best in Fig. 9, and then upward parallel with the inner face of the outer side member of the said box casing, to an engagement with an arch spring D, which lies along the inner face of the said outer side member of the box casing. The latch member C has the same rocking action on the box casing as the latch member 0 and in action is the same, the only practical difference being in the location of its controlling spring.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. A bag or purse fastener, comprising a casing adapted to be secured upon the u per face of a bag or purse frame, a latch 0 approximately the shape of the casing and extending over the top and sides thereof, said latch being mounted to rock on the casing and provided with a finger piece and an inwardly projecting member extending from its rear side into the casing, and a spring in the casing and engaging the inwardly projecting member of the latch.

2. A bag or purse fastener comprising a casing adapted to be secured upon a member of a bag or purse frame, a latch having an approximately U-shaped body provided with a finger piece and at its rear side with an inwardly projecting member extending into the casing, said. latch extending over the to and sides of the casing and mountedto roof; thereon, and a spring in the casing and engaging the inwardly projecting member of the latch.

3. A bag or purse fastener, comprising a casing adapted to be secured upon a member of the bag or purse frame, a latch having an approximately U-shaped body provided with a finger piece upwardly and outwardly from its front edge and with a tongue extending from its rear edge into the casing, the latch extending over the top and sides of the easing and the rear edge of the casing being recessed to receive the tongue of the latch, and a spring in the casing and engaging the tongue of the latch.

4. A bag or purse fastener, comprising a box casing having a depression in its top and sides intermediate of its ends, a leaf spring in the casing, and a latch having an ap proximately Ushaped body mounted in the depression of the casing to rock thereon, said body having a finger piece projecting from its'front side and a tongue projecting from its rear side and extending into the casing.

5. The combination with a frame for a bag or the like having a keeper on one of its members, of a casing secured to the other member of the frame to project beyond the inner face thereof, a latch having an approximately U-shaped body provided with a finger piece and at its rear edge with a tongue projecting into the casing, said latch being mounted to rock on the casing and to receive within it the said keeper, and a spring in the casing and engaging the tongue of the latch.

6. The combination with a frame for a bag or the like having projections on the upper face of one of its members, of a casing secured upon the upper face of the other member of the frame, a latch having an approximately U-shaped body provided With a finengaging the casing and its central portion 10 ger piece pro ecting upwardly and outwardly the tongue of the latch.

irom its front edge and with a tongue projecting inwardly from its rear edge into the casing, the casing having its rear edge recessed for the passage of the tongue, said latch being mounted to rock on the casing and to receive within it the said projections, and a flat spring in the casing W1th its ends In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

LOUIS B. PRAHAR.

Witnesses:

J. FRED. AcKER, JNo. M. BITTER. 

